St Marcus MKE Sermons

This week we continue our theme of St. Marcus CORE VALUES. Last week we began our study of our 2nd Core Value: Sacrificial Love. This week we’re going to study Romans 5:1-8 to see those to whom we are naturally inclined to show sacrificial love and to those to whom God is calling us to show sacrificial love.

This week, we recount the time in Jesus' ministry where he exorcised a man possessed by countless demons. We tackle a few difficult questions that come up within this portion of the Gospel and relate it to some of the demons that every sinner faces every day.

This week we continue our theme of St. Marcus CORE VALUES. We’re moving on now to our 2nd Core Value: Sacrificial Love. We’ll take a look at the world’s definition of love, how that impacts us, and how a biblical definition of love has and will change us. We’ll be studying 1 John 3:11-20.

This week we continue our theme of St. Marcus CORE VALUES. Core Values are the durable identity that you take with you wherever you go. The first of our 4 Core Values is Christ First. Last week, we saw that if “seek first His kingdom and righteousness”, we find the solution to our worldly fears. This week, we want to take a deeper look at what it means to embody of this trait, living by Jesus’ Spirit. We’ll examine Romans 8:1-6.

For the next 8 weeks we’re finally doing a series I’ve been hoping to do for almost 2 years now – St. Marcus Core Values. Core Values function somewhat like your organizational identity – the durable, fundamental center that you carry with you everywhere you go. The first of our 4 Core Values is Christ First. This week we’ll be studying what it means to “seek first His kingdom and righteousness” as we study Matt. 6:25-34.

As many of us prepare for a day off on Labor Day, we take a look at what the Bible says about what our attitudes towards our daily labors should look like. Slavery was abundant in human history and is mentioned in the Old and New Testament numerous times. In Colossians, Paul has a message for slaves and masters (if written today, it would be more akin to addressing employees and bosses), in which he urges workers to obey the masters in authority and to work with sincerity and reverence for our God. Colossians 3:22-4:1 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you willreceive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. (NIV)

Originally preached on March 17th, 2018 and part of the series: The Gospel of Mark, From Throne to Cross and Back. Based on Mark 12:35-44. We look at what it means to be a friend of Jesus, how one becomes an enemy of Jesus, and what Jesus has already done FOR his enemies.

Our series is called SATAN’S SLEIGHT OF HAND: The mostly untrue things we really need to stop believing. This week’s lie is “GOD JUST WANTS ME TO BE HAPPY.” Well…..yes, God certainly desires our long-term wellness. But the question remains as to what exactly that means for this life. This week we’ll learn lots from a remarkable description of Moses, from Hebrews 11:23-28, who voluntarily gave up everything Pharoah’s palace had to offer in order to suffer with his people in order to get them to the Promised Land.

Membership in social clubs have declined over recent years. More and more people are stepping away from these types of membership clubs and clinging to their own personal networks, online or otherwise. Hebrews 10:19-35 teaches us perseverance in a different kind of membership - that of our own congregation in the Church of Christ. Our membership into God's "club" was paid for by the sacrifice of his Holy Son, Jesus Christ. We are able to witness and encourage one another through the Sacraments and can be confident with our unlimited access to God.

Today, we dig into what it means to truly love our God. We turn to the end of the Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where we are taught how to live our lives as Christians to the fullest, and to base all our love in Him, and give our lives back to Him. Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

The lie for this week is “A LOVING GOD WOULD NEVER SEND ANYONE TO HELL.” Modern America is what philosophers might call a “soft closed religious society.” What that means is that it’s technically not illegal to discuss matters of faith in public, but it’s considered socially inappropriate. Particularly inappropriate would a discussion of Hell. But it’s actually impossible to be a Christian witness, without modifying the gospel of Jesus, if you never address Hell. So the end result is that most Christians today simply don’t witness their faith in any sort of true, vocal way. If we are called to be witnesses, we need to be confident, and biblical, and loving in our witness of Christ. This week we’re going to learn about how to talk about Hell in a true way, but one that resonates with contemporary culture. We’ll be studying Matthew 25:31-46.

Jesus is the Bread of Life and is the only "food" that can nourish the human soul. In John 6, we take a look at how Jesus is the Bread that came from heaven, and how he is the Bread that leads us to Heaven.

The lie for this week is “THAT SIN CAN’T BE FORGIVEN.” In a society that has almost tried to get the word “sin” out of circulation, it’s fascinating that self-loathing over unresolved guilt anger over unexpressed forgiveness is still one of the largest drivers of behavior. This week, we look at the most famous fail of processing guilt in history, the story of Judas Iscariot, to see the necessity of finding forgiveness, including self-forgiveness. We’ll look at Matthew 27:1-10.

The lie for this week is “RELIGION DOESN’T BELONG IN THE WORKPLACE.” Modern Americans are very familiar with the practice of the privatization of faith. But if good news is, in fact, good, then how private can you truly keep it before you insinuate it’s not all that life-changing? Daniel provides a courageous, humble example this week as we study Daniel 1:8-21.

The lie for this week is “I NEED TO MAKE SOMETHING OF MYSELF.” Hold onto this thought – if Jesus died for the sins of the world, the thing that now separates humans from God is not sin as much as it is the false-righteousness that we turn to in place of Jesus. One of the great Tim Keller revelations of my life is that even non-believers/other religious repent of “bad deeds,” but only Christians repent of finding their hope and identity in false, performance-based righteousness. Paul speaks about this brilliantly and candidly in Philippians 3:1-11, which we’ll study together this week.

The lie for this week is “YOU’VE EARNED EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.” The Bible’s clear teaching is that the sin beneath every other sin, the quintessential sin, is PRIDE. And yet, it’s so powerful, so blinding, that none of us even realizes we’re guilty of it. In fact, the most humble people you know are the only ones truly aware of pride. This week we’re going to do a bit of a character study of arguably the guy in the Bible who most embodies the ugliness of PRIDE. His name is Haman, and we’ll meet him as we study Esther 3:1-6, 6:1-10.

The lie for this week is “YOUR FAITH IS JUST BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.” Researcher Robert Bellah wrote in Habits of the Heart that 81% of Americans believe that you should come to religious conclusions APART from any religious organization. In other words, the majority of people believe you don’t find God in community. They think you find God on your own. The reality is that Americans today, including many Christians, have never reported that they’ve been lonelier. Gen Z 18-22 year-olds are the loneliest, followed by Millennials. Why? Because we’re trying to do life and faith on our own terms, not cemented into Church community. We’ll see how the Apostle Paul teaches us something different as we look at Ephesians 2:19-22.

On this weekend ahead of the July Fourth Holiday, we reflect on the words in 1 Peter 2:13-17. While our country is far from a perfect and united nation, it is best to celebrate the platform which God has given us to be His leaders; leaders to create a fairer and more just world.

This week’s lie is “WOMEN AND MEN ARE BASICALLY THE SAME.” Whether you’re considering chromosomal pairs in a nucleus, sexual organs, or even brain chemistry, or behavior psychology, there are OBVIOUS differences between women and men and logical implications attached to those differences. The problem arises, however, when those differences are abused for selfish gain. In other words, the problem is not in God’s design, but in humanity’s poor execution. As a result, society has adopted more of an egalitarian approach to the sexes. So when we start to discuss things like gender roles in the home and the church, it seems social foreign, perhaps even oppressive. This week we’re going to dig into some of the texts that a 2018 postmodern climate tends to find confusing, if not offensive and regressive. I’ll do my very best to clear up what I think are both misunderstandings in society and in some traditional churches. And hopefully we’ll take one step closer to the truth and beauty of God’s plan. Please join me as we examine 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.

Just as Jesus calmed the stormy wind and waves while on a boat with his frightened disciples, Jesus is able to still the storms that occur in our daily lives, as well as in our faith.

This week’s lie is “MORE MONEY, MORE HAPPINESS.” Most philosophers and religious leaders throughout history have suggested that contentment is the secret to happiness. And yet, modern research also seems to suggest that $34k/year income is a threshold, and $75k/year is another income threshold for happiness. So which is it? Can we be content without X amount of dollars? Should we be content where we’re at and never pursue more money? What can we do with the money we have that will bring greatest joy? The Apostle Paul has some great insights we’ll study this week from 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

E Pluribus Unum is printed on our money, inscribed on government buildings, and serves as the motto of the United States of America. The Latin phrase translates to "out of many, one." It was, and still stands for a goal - that despite the diversity of people, there will be a unity, to stand as one. E Pluribus Unum could also be a descriptor for the Christian Church as well. We look to Ephesians 4, where we stand in unity for our God, even amongst diversity.

This week’s lie is “IF YOU FEEL DEPRESSED, YOU’RE A BAD CHRISTIAN.” Of anything that I might be experientially qualified to speak on, this is probably it It’s an unfortunate thing to be able to call your wheelhouse. Nonetheless, it’s something I’ve certainly wrestled with over the years, and a topic on which I’ve continuously found God’s Word to be unbelievably insightful. This week we’ll examine depression and happiness through the lens of Psalm 143:1-12.

There are definite patterns in behavior that change from one generation to the next. Oftentimes, these behaviors and new norms can cause distress and resentment between age groups. In this lesson, we learn to enjoy the diversity of different ages. The day after Palm Sunday, children in the temple courts shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David,” to Jesus, which aggravated the Pharisees and teachers of the law. We know that worshipful praise has no generational bounds when it comes to Our God and King.

In the first week of a new series, "Satan's Sleight of Hand: The Mostly Untrue Things We Really Need to Stop Believing," we’re going to address one as volatile in relationships as any – divorce. This week’s lie is “IF YOUR MARRIAGE ISN’T HAPPY, YOU SHOULD LEAVE.” It’s much bigger than a right/wrong issue in most circumstances. It’s a “lies we believe” issue. We’ll look at what Jesus teaches in Matthew 19:1-12 and discuss what God permits, what God commands, and what Jesus vows to us about marriage.

The doctrine of the Trinity is a teaching that causes non-believers to perceive Christianity as non-sensical, but is a teaching that compels believers to appreciate a mysterious God who is infinitely greater than we are.

The account of the first Pentecost gives us an incredible example of the gathering of all of God's people and where they come from. We celebrate the diversity of place and acknowledge that God used this festival day to disperse his believers and the Message into different corners of the world.

This is our 6th and final week of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Much of the talk in the series has been our Christian witness, in both our words and actions. This week we see the pinnacle of a Christian witness in Stephen, the first Christian martyr (the Greek word for “witness” is actually martyrion). Fascinatingly, we seek the example of what angry, scared religious people look like in our lesson, as well as how to turn into a gracious believer, like Stephen. This week, we’ll examine Acts 7:54-60.

Today, our cities are full of diverse people from different ethnic backgrounds. Cities in Biblical times, namely Rome, had more diversity than we might have originally expected. In Colossians 4, the apostle Paul encourages us to be wise in the way that we act towards people different from ourselves. Early Jewish Christians were able to form relationships with people not like them and they set an example for us to follow today.

Week 5 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. In prior weeks, we’ve seen some of the hostility that the Early Church faced from outsiders. But Satan’s attack on Christianity also often comes from within the Church. This week we’ll look at the fascinating account of Ananias & Sapphira, an account in which at first glance, we might be inclined to wonder if the punishment fits the crime. The subtlety of it makes Ananias & Sapphira’s sins equally deadly to us.

Inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John tells us that we are believers by looking at what God has done for us. We know we are Christians by the love that is motivated by Christ and by faith that can be only be worked by the Holy Spirit.

Week 4 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Without question, Scripture makes it clear that one of the factors of the explosive growth of the Early Church was the beauty of early Christian Community. The early believers actually lived like all of their possessions belonged to God, and they were simply managers here on earth for a while. This led them to show radical generosity to one another. We’re going to take a look at how generosity like that becomes possible when we study Acts 4:31-37, “The New Community.”

The apostle John gives us two tests before we trust that a spiritual message is actually a Christian message. The first test is "What is the message?" and the second test is "Who is the audience?"

Week 3 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Last week, we saw a snapshot of what the Early Christian Church, filled with the Spirit, was doing. This week, we’re looking at the types of things the Early Christian Church was saying – what specifically was the message of their witnessing. We find that Peter and John were sharing their faith in a pluralistic world, much like Christians in the city today. What does it sound like to be a courageous witness? We’ll take a look at Acts 4:1-14 as we worship under the theme of “Peter Heals a Beggar and Defends His Faith.”

Week 2 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. This week we’ll be looking at Acts 2:40-47, the implications of Pentecost. Dr. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, gives us an amazing portrait of the Early Christian Church. It doesn’t look exactly like the American Church today. Should it? What fueled it to be so different? This week we’ll worship under the theme of “Pentecost and Its Meaning.”

We’re starting a new series this week called O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. This week we’ll be looking at Acts 1:1-11, the story of The Ascension. The Ascension, along with Pentecost, are actually the events which give Christians (and the Church) their life’s purpose. Put differently, if you don’t understand Ascension and Pentecost, it’s going to be impossible for you, as a Christian, to ever understand the purpose and meaning of your life on earth. And that’s exactly what I find with A LOT of young adult Christians today – life goals nearly identical to that of a non-believing world. Submitting to the teaching of Ascension will completely refocus you.

This is our final week in the Gospel of Mark series. Our theme will be the Anointing of Jesus, as we watch Mary of Bethany worship Jesus in an extravagant, offensive (to the onlookers) way. Worship, by definition, is supposed to be inordinate. It’s supposed to be excessive from the world’s perspective. Mary has some amazing things to teach to an American Christianity that sometimes wants to worship in moderation. We’ll study Mark 14:1-11.

This week, in the Gospel of Mark, we’re looking at the theme of HUMILITY. The Greeks and Romans never saw humility as a virtue. I would argue America doesn’t either. In fact, I don’t even think we define it correctly. But Jesus says humble service is the road to glory in the Kingdom. We’ll investigate Mark 10:35-45.

This week as we look at Jesus’ “backwards” approach to glory. Not through thrones but through crosses. Received not by the wise and talented, but by the childlike. What does it mean that the Kingdom belongs to “such as these”? We’ll figure it out as we look through Mark 10:13-16.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ CROSS. That could be a little misleading though. Our focus this week is actually a bit more on figuring out what it means that to be Christ’s disciple, you must pick up YOUR CROSS to follow him? We’re going to discover that the cross is actually the foundation for the Christian’s identity as we look at Mark 8:34-38.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ SYMPATHY. The word “sympathy” literally means to “suffer with.” Jesus doesn’t promise to end all the storms of life, because a bunch of good stuff comes to us through them. But, he does promise he’ll 1) face the storms with us, 2) he’ll face the ultimate storm for us, and 3) one day these storms will come to an end. We’ll study another story of Jesus at Sea as we look at Mark 6:45-52.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ REJECTION. Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt. And it turns out Jesus’ hometown was really offended by him. Why? What could make Jesus so offensive? What could potentially make his followers so offensive? And what does Jesus rejection from this world do for us? We’ll get to the bottom of all of it Saturday evening as we dig into Mark 6:1-6.

We’re in our fourth week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ AUTHORITY. Wow. Occasionally God gives me a text to wrestle with in which his voice becomes so incredibly clear. Jesus demonstrating his authority over the storms of life couldn’t be more perfect for me right now. This week we’ll study Mark 4:35-41.

We’re in our third week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ PARABLES. This parable is the granddaddy of all parables, and I’ll explain why. It’s honestly one of the more fascinating insights for me on the nature of why someone does/does not receive the Word of God. Message based on Mark 4:1-20.

The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back. We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in FAMILY. Jesus again says something incredibly provocative, that startles some people and deeply offends others. But if you submit to his teaching about family, it will make you tremendously optimistic about your family future, regardless of if you’re married or single, in a dysfunctional relationship or a healthy one. Messaged based on Mark 3:31-35.

We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in healing – but not in the way you might think, not initially. Jesus, as he often does, says something provocative and offensive to modern and ancient people alike, but profoundly liberating, to a crippled man. Mark 2:1-12.

Week 5 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Sacraments. There is a significant level of division in the Christian Community regarding what Baptism and Holy Communion are, and what they accomplish. There is also some overlap and agreement of definitions. In our worship, we’ll start with that, and examine Scripture to guide us from there to determine whether Baptism and Communion are best considered “Sacraments” or “Sacrifices.”

Week 4 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Revealed God. The way we best know God is how he revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus, the God-Man, is IT. He’s the central character of the Bible. He’s the one who holds the universe together. He’s the one essential in your life. And meeting with his body is the axis of the believer’s week. I hope you don’t get tired of admiring Jesus, because that’s what we’ll be doing for all eternity. This week in worship, we’re going to briefly look at how the entire Old Testament prefigured Christ in the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King. Our message will be based on Acts 3:11-26.

Week 3 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Mysterious God. Why would not being able to comprehend much about the working of God be an asset to our relationship with God, not a detriment? We’ll find out as we echo with the Apostle Paul some words of praise from Romans 11:33-36.